Summiting one of the safest 8000-ers? ... et voilá!
The Furtenbach Adventures Broad Peak expedition is truly a unique opportunity. From a purely statistical point of view, the Broad Peak is one of the objectively safest eight-thousanders which also has a very high success rate. The route is direct, relatively short and the few difficult passages are secured with fixed ropes. Because of this, and because of its lower altitude, the Broad Peak is the first eight-thousander for many high-altitude mountaineers. The Karakoram is often described as climatically harsher and colder than the Himalayan mountains. This, however, arises from a rather subjective sensation as opposed to scientifically validated values. First you hike for one week via the Baltoro glacier over boulders, ice and moraines to the mountain. Not through forests and meadows as is often the case in the Himalayas. It's all barren and thus acts inhospitable. But in reality it is not colder. There are even days when you can sit on the Broad Peak summit in ski touring pants and a light windbreaker.
Broad Peak & K2
Climbing Broad Peak as acclimatization can spare ourselves multiple ascents and descents on the objectively more dangerous and technically more challenging K2! If you’re interested in this perfect combination check out our doubleheader-expedition.
Highlights
- One of the safest 8000-ers
- High sucess rate
- IFMGA mountain guide
- High camp equipment
- optional: Double-header expedition with K2
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Islamabad and meet-up at the Hotel Envoy Continental in Islamabad
Free day for the participants while the expedition leader takes care of the last administrative formalities the authorities.
Day 2: Beautiful mountain flight to Skardu. Overnight stay at hotel in Skardu.
Day 3: We spend the day in the small but lively town of Skardu at 2300m. The carriers are organized, the luggage loaded, and you can run some last errands or go on a hike.
Day 4: Day trip by jeep through wild, stunning scenery and canyons to Askole at 3050m. For those who have never been here before, this will probably be the most exciting and thrilling ride of their lives! Overnight stay in tents in the small village of Askole.
Days 5-11: An impressive walk through what we consider the most spectacular mountain valley in the world. We spend each night in a tent. On the first day it is relatively flat with a very dry and barren landscape on the way to Jhula at 3100m. On the second day we reach the last small settlement of Paiju at an altitude of about 3500m. If required, we will lay in a day of rest there, which the carriers need in order to prepare for the Baltoro glacier. On the fourth day we will already be on the legendary Baltoro glacier. We reach our camp at Urdukas next to the glacier at about 4150m. And just across from the Trango towers! An incredibly impressive view! On the fifth day we pass the beautiful Muztagh Tower on the way to our next camp Goro II at around 4200m. Because of the spectacular views, the walks are very entertaining here.
You have to force yourself to keep your eyes on the ground. On the sixth day we reach the famous Concordia confluence at about 4600m where so many scientists, explorers and mountaineering legends have set up camp over the years. All have left their unmistakable traces. We see here two of the most beautiful mountains on this planet, Masherbrum and Gasherbrum IV. Also Broad Peak, K2 and Hermann Buhl’s fateful mountain – the Chogolisa. All are prominent in this stunning 360 degree panorama. On the last day we reach our base camp on Broad Peak at a pleasant altitude of 4900m on a lateral moraine of the Godwin-Austen Glacier.
Days 12-37: We will take at least three weeks for the ascent, however we want to stay flexible due to weather and snow conditions as well as the participants‘ needs and requirements. We will set up 2-3 high camps. The first, which we could skip later on, will be situated on a small plateau following the first firn flank at 5700m which will be secured with fixed ropes. The next camp will be at ca. 6300m and the last one at 7100m.
The summit tour first takes us to the 7800m high saddle between the northern peak and the pre-summit, then via the wide ridge with a few easy climbs (second level of difficulty – here we will use a fixed rope) to the pre-summit. From here we easily (walking terrain) continue over a wide, gently sloping ridge that is by far not as long as often described, towards the main summit. This ridge is often blown off, facilitating easy advancement. If conditions are good, and participants are in a healthy and normal state, we can accomplish this in about half an hour there and 20 minutes back.
Days 38-40: Dismantling the base camp and return to Skardu via the Gondogoro pass. Overnight stay in tents and in the hotel in Skardu.
Days 41: Return flight to Islamabad. We will be so exhausted that we will simply sleep through the flight. Overnight stay at a hotel in Islamabad.
Day 42: Islamabad or return flight
